OCC features exceptional facilities and the latest in technology and offers more than 135 academic and career programs, including one of the nation’s largest and most acclaimed public nautical programs.

OCC features exceptional facilities and the latest in technology and offers more than 135 academic and career programs, including one of the nation’s largest and most acclaimed public nautical programs.

OCC features exceptional facilities and the latest in technology and offers more than 135 academic and career programs, including one of the nation’s largest and most acclaimed public nautical programs.

OCC features exceptional facilities and the latest in technology and offers more than 135 academic and career programs, including one of the nation’s largest and most acclaimed public nautical programs.

OCC features exceptional facilities and the latest in technology and offers more than 135 academic and career programs, including one of the nation’s largest and most acclaimed public nautical programs.

OCC features exceptional facilities and the latest in technology and offers more than 135 academic and career programs, including one of the nation’s largest and most acclaimed public nautical programs.

Horticulture

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​​​​​​​​​​​​​The Horticulture Department at Orange Coast College prides itself on having a very fine program for students planning to enter the field of horticulture and for people already working in the Green Industry who wish to expand and update their horticultural knowledge.

We offer classes in areas such as horticulture science, nursery operations, propagation, plant identification, soil science, residential irrigation, landscape design, landscape maintenance, interior plantscaping, pest and disease control, and opportunities for participation in Poinsettia Crop Management. Course content is relevant, up-to-date, meets current industry standards, and has been developed with input from experts in the horticultural industry.

The Horticulture Department has seven greenhouses with over 9,000 square feet of space; 4,000 square feet shade structure; a tree arboretum; fruit tree orchard; well-equipped classroom building set in beautiful landscaped grounds; and Outdoor Laboratory (150+ 10x10 plots). In addition, we use the entire campus as a living laboratory for our classes.

Students can earn an Certificate of Achievement degree in Horticulture ​​or a Certificate of Specialization in Retrofitting California Urban Gardens or Certificates of Specialization in Landscape Design (basic, intermediate and advanced). ​They may then transfer to a baccalaureate program in Agriculture and Environmental ​Plant Science or Horticulture/Crop Science or Landscape Architecture at one of several private or State Universities. Students anticipating transfer to a four-year College should consult the current Orange Coast College catalogue for curriculum planning assistance. The courses have been designed both for full-time students planning to enter the horticulture or Green Industry and for those people working in one of the many interesting areas of horticulture who wish to expand their horticulture knowledge. Most classes are conducted during convenient evening hours for students who are working or for people already in the Green Industry to upgrade their​ skills.

While at OCC Horticulture majors have the opportunity to explore this fascinating career area and explore “digging in the dirt” with hands-on experiential studies. Students will plant and grow organics vegetables, propagate a variety of plants, collect plant samples for identification, design gardens, and learn the fundamentals of nursery operations.

​The beauty of horticulture as a career option is that it lets you carve out a niche that meets your own talents and aspirations, whatever they may be.

__________________________Success in the New Economy

Local community college supported the production of “Success in the New Economy” to help a broader audience begin to understand preparation today for tomorrow’s labor market realities. The end result is a compelling case for students to explore career choices early, make informed decisions when declaring their college education goal, and to consider technical skill acquisition, real-world application and academics (career technical programs) in tandem with a classic education. This balanced approach to life and learning results in a well-educated and employed workforce.

Leveraging his expertise in higher education and Career & Technical Education, Kevin Fleming adapted conference presentations and research to create this data-driven explanation. And award winning film creator and producer Brian Y. Marsh brought the data to life through animation.